Handle-type carrying bag made of plastics material sheeting

ABSTRACT

Only one wall of the bag is provided with a heat-sealed carrying handle made of stiff synthetic thermoplastics. The other wall of the bag is provided with a lead-out slot on the level of the lower end of the handle and has a reversely foldable portion extending beyond said lead-out slot.

United States Patent Schwarzkopf [45] Sept. 26, 1972 [5 HANDLE-TYPECARRYING BAG MADE [56] References Cited OF PLASTICS MATERIAL SHEETING IUNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor: August Schwarzkopl, Hemestrasse 2,454 Lengerich f wcslphana' 3,549,085 l2/l970 Hart ..229l54R Germa3,525,468 8/]970 Kamins et aL ..229/54 R ,4 9,4 19 9 D f .229 4 m Filed:June 23, 1970 3 2 98 2/ 6 /5 R Appl. No.: 49,084

Foreign Application Priority Data June 24, 1969 Germany ..P I9 32 047.9

US. Cl. ..229/S4 R Int. Cl. ..B65d 33/06 Field of Search ..229/54, 54 RPrimary ExaminerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-H. ShaneAttorney-Fleit, Gipple & Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT Only one wall of the bagis provided with a heat-sealed carrying handle made of stiff synthetictherinoplastics. The other wall of the bag is provided with a lead-outslot on the level of the lower end of the handle and has a reverselyfoldable portion extending beyond said lead-out slot.

3 Claims, 35 Drawing Figures PATENTEDssrzs m2 F/G/ F/GIE F7620 F7673F7530 SHEET [MW 11 PATENTEU SEP 26 I972 SHEET GQUF 11 I /d 6/3 22mPATENTED E Z I912 8.693.867 SHEET us or 11 fut/ 7 6/5 lf amlzysPATENTEDSEP26 I912 sum 0 7 OF 11 Rx mm JrraPMFys PATENTEnsms 1912 SHEETUJDF 11 MM T'TOP/VE'YS PATENTEUSEPZS um SHEET IOGF 11 imv Ana-L4.)

/ lrrmwrys HANDLE-TYPE CARRYING BAG MADE OF PLASTICS MATERIAL SHEETINGCarrying bags which are made of synthetic thermoplastic sheeting andprovided at their open rim with a pair of U-shaped carrying handles madeof synthetic thermoplastic sheeting have been known for a long time. lnthese known carrying bags, each handle comprises a grip portion and aheat sealing strip, which extends at least over a substantial part ofthe width of the bag and serves to heat-seal the U-shaped carryinghandle to the open rim of the carrying bag. Owing to the thickness ofthe material of the heat sealing strips and possibly because the samemay consist of a channel or angle, these strips are so stiff, althoughthey consist of inherently flexible plastics material, that the carryingbag is reliably rectangular even when it is filled, whereas, forinstance with carrying bags made of plastics material sheeting andprovided with gripping apertures, the end portions of the open rims arepulled down by the weight of the contents of the filled bag so that thecarrying bag has an unpleasant appearance.

The known handle-type carrying bags of the kind defined are generallyprovided at both U-shaped handles with fastening means by which the twohandles are releasably connected before the carrying bag is filled. Thisreleasable connection between the two handles has mainly the purpose toenable during the manufacture of the carrying bag an insertion of bothhandles as a unit between the edges of a half-tubing and a heat sealingof said unit to said half-tubing, from which the several carrying bagsare subsequently made by the formation of transverse seams by combinedheat sealing and severing operations. When the bag has been filled, thetwo handles usually are not connected to each other. Such connectionwould be difficult if the contents of the carrying bag cause the openrim to gape. For this reason, the known carrying bags have thedisadvantage that the contents of the bag are generally accessible torain, snow, dust or the like. In spite of the generally recognizedadvantages of the known handletype carrying bags made of plasticsmaterial sheeting, the same have not yet been successful in certainfields of application, such as the packaging of textile products, forthe reasons set forth above.

For this purpose, carrying bags having gripping apertures and areversely folded edge portion and made of paper are still employed,which bags are provided with an adhered reinforcing strip of paperadjacent to the open rim and ensure that the rectangular shape of thecarrying bag will be retained even when the bag is filled.

It is an object of the invention to provide a handletype carrying bagwhich is made of plastics material sheeting and ensures the knownadvantage of carrying bags having stiff handles, namely, goodform-retaining properties, whereas the bag affords a considerableprotection against an ingress of rain, snow, dust or the like to thecontents of the bag.

This object is accomplished according to the invention in that only onewall of the bag is provided with a heat-sealed carrying handle made ofstiff synthetic thermoplastics and the other wall of the bag is providedwith a lead-out slot on the level of the lower end of the handle and hasa reversely foldable portion extending beyond said lead-out slot. Thiscarrying bag has the advantage that it is sufficient to join only onehandle by heat sealing and there is no need for fasteners for connectingsaid handle to another handle.

The decisive advantage of the carrying bag according to the inventionresides in that a protection of the contents of the bag against rain orthe like is automatically provided because the bag cannot be carriedunless the handle has been slipped through the slot. Otherwise the bagwould be carried only at one wall and would open to a large extent. Whenthe handle has been slipped through the lead-out slot, the reverselyfoldable part reliably closes the opening of the bag.

In a development of the invention, the handle may be heat-sealed to theinside of said one wall of the bag and the wall of the bag may extendupwardly beyond the heat-sealed joint. In this case that wall of the bagwhich is provided with the handle is reversely folded together with thereversely foldable portion of the other wall of the bag onto the outsideof the bag wall provided with the carrying handle when the latter hasbeen slipped through the lead-out slot. This condition results in animproved protection of the opening of the bag near its ends, where thereversely foldable portion of the other wall of the bag alone would notafford such good protection.

A particularly desirable, additional stiffening and reinforcement toavoid a tearing adjacent to the heatsealed joint of the handle andadjacent to the lead-out slot may be obtained in that one wall or bothwalls of the bag have an upper portion comprising two plies. In thiscase, the lead-out slot may be disposed between two parallel heat-sealedseams, which extend throughout the width of the bag, so that a tearingadjacent to the slot will be particularly effectively avoided. Thetwo-ply wall portions may comprise reversely folded edge portions, whichare heat-sealed to the bag walls adjacent to their folds and at theirlower edges. Whereas the heat-sealed seams adjacent to the folds are notrequired to form the reversely folded portion and to hold it inposition, they prevent a shifting of the sheeting plies in the two-plyportion so as to substantially increase its stiffness.

In another embodiment of the carrying bag according to the invention, ashrunk heat-sealed seam may be provided instead of the two parallelheat-sealed seams extending on both sides of the lead-out slot andthroughout the width of the carrying bag, which shrunk seam surroundsthe lead-out slot at the edges thereof or is closely spaced therefromand joins the two plies of the upper portion of the bag wall. By thisshrunk seam, the reversely folded portion is joined to the rear wall inthe critical area below the lead-out slot so that the forces aretransmitted to the handle through a plurality of plies, as is desirable.The slot has a certain tear resistance because it has been formed by acombined heat-sealing and severing operation, but nevertheless tears mayform at the slot. Such tears can propagate only as far as to the shrunkheat-sealed seam so that the entire bag wall provided with the reverselyfoldable flap cannot become torn off Whereas two-ply wall portions maycomprise reversely folded edge portions which are heat-sealed to thewalls of the bag at the folds and at the lower edges of said reverselyfolded edge portions, another embodiment of the invention comprises areversely foldable portion which comprises preferably four plies andconsists of an edge portion which has been reversely folded severaltimes and said edge portion comprises plies which are not heat-sealed toeach other along the folds but are spaced apart owing to the elasticityof the material. This results in an improved stiffening actionthroughout the width of the bag as in the case of a section beam. Thisbeam action of the reversely folded portion strongly opposes a saggingof the outer end portions of the bag. n the other hand, this multi-plyportion results in a desirable additional reinforcement of the lead-outslot.

ln accordance with the invention, a tearing of the bag adjacent to theheat-sealed portions of the handle and adjacent to the lead-out slot canbe avoided by a stiffening which is obtained in that the reverselyfoldable portion comprises two plies throughout the width of the bag,preferably only adjacent to the lead-out slot, and for this purpose isprovided with a separate inserted sheeting strip, which is included inthe side seams formed by a combined heat sealing and severing operation.This strip will desirably consist of a thicker material than the rest ofthe carrying bag. As a result, the bag may be made from fairly thinsheeting and the reinforced area may be as strong as is desired whereasan appreciable and superfluous expenditure of material is avoided.

Another desirable feature of the invention resides in that that wall ofthe bag which is provided with the lead-out slot and the reinforcingstrip is provided with a reversely folded edge portion and thereinforcing strip is provided between that reversely folded edge portionand the wall of the bag. The reversely folded edge portion of the wallof the bag covers the reinforcing strip so that a pleasant appearance ofthe bag is ensured and the bag can be filled without trouble.

To ensure that the stiffness of the reinforcing strip will not hinderthe reverse folding of the reversely foldable portion, the reverselyfoldable portion may be provided with a crease at its base, i.e., at thefold line extending below the reinforcing strip. This crease may beformed in that the reversely foldable portion is reversely folded,hot-pressed in a reversely folded condition and opened back. This creaseensures that the reversely foldable portion will reversely fold withoutdifficulty and so as to form a sharp fold when the bag has been filledand the handle has been slipped through the slot and that the reverselyfolded portion will not disturbingly protrude from the bag but willsnugly contact the same.

In a preferred embodiment of the carrying bag according to theinvention, the bag wall portion extending beyond the lead-out slot hasbeen reversely folded during the manufacture of the bag and has beenheatsealed to the side edges of the bag wall which carries the reverselyfolded portion whereas that wall which carries the carrying handle has aportion which corresponds to the reversely folded portion and which isso reduced in width that it is not included in the heatsealed sideseams. This feature results in a carrying bag which has a particularlypleasant appearance because it has no loosely depending, reverselyfolded portion. Because that wall of the bag which carries the handle isreduced in width, that wall remains freely movable adjacent to its freeedge and can be inserted under the reversely folded portion of the bagwall when the bag has been filled and the handle has been slippedthrough the lead-out slot.

In a further embodiment of the carrying bag according to the invention,that bag wall which is provided with the carrying handle and which isreduced in width adjacent to its free edge when the bag is in conditionfor use extends as far as to the heat-sealed side seams and is includedtherein also adjacent to the free edge of the wall before the first useof the bag. Adjacent to that rim, the bag wall provided with the handlehas easily destructible, weakened lines between the outermost portionsof said wall, which portions are included in the heat-sealed side seams,and the middle portion of said wall, which middle portion is providedwith the handle. As the bag is opened, the bag material is torn alongthe weakened lines so that the bag wall portion carrying the handle isreduced in width. The two outer bag wall portions disposed beyond thelines of severance are held in the heat-sealed side seams so that thetearing is enabled and these parts are still comprised in the bag whenthe same is ready for use.

This embodiment has the advantage that the manufacture of the carryingbags from a half-tubing, which is conveyed transversely to itslongitudinal direction, does not involve a formation of punched wasteportions, which could be removed only with difficulty because they canbe charged electrostatically. Besides, the weakened lines consistdesirably of cuts which are interrupted only by a few very thin landsand maintain the coherence of the entire edge portion as the bag isconveyed so that no trouble can arise from an unsatisfactory lateralguidance of the web. Moreover, the normal wall stress would be lostadjacent to such punched apertures and this loss of stress wouldadversely affect the processing. Finally, before the bag is used for thefirst time, there is no loose flap which would adversely affect thehandling of the bag.

In accordance with the invention, a carrying handle which isparticularly desirable for use in the carrying bag according to theinvention comprises a solid grip portion, which is shorter in its upperportion than directly over its base, where the grip portion merges intothe heat sealing strip and has a maximum length slightly over the heatsealing strip. Because the handle tapers upwardly, it can easily beslipped through the lead-out slot. On the other hand, the grip portionhas a maximum length shortly over the heat sealing strip and thismaximum length is equal to the length of the leadout slot so that thereversely folded portion is held in position by the handle. It will beparticularly desirable for this purpose to provide a handle having agrip portion which is undercut between its portion having a maximumlength and the heat sealing strip so that the end edges of the lead-outslot snap into the undercut portions of the grip portion.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the grip portion of the handleconsists of an open-topped channel. With this shape, the grip portioncan well be gripped and has a uniform, small wall thickness so that thehandle can be cooled rapidly and uniformly in an injection-molding dieand the production rate can be much increased. Besides, the flat outsidesurfaces of the channel-shaped grip portion afford the advantage thatthe handles can readily be stacked in a magazine, from which thelowermost handle is pushed out by a pusher during the manufacture of thecarrying bags. With grips having other cross-sectional shapes, such as ashape of an inverted T, difficulties would arise in the manufacture ofthe carrying bags by machine.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the carry ing handle isprovided with a heat sealing strip which at its upper edge is enlargedin the form of a bead at least in that portion which is adjacent to theslot. This beadlike enlargement ensures a good seal at the edges of thelead-out slot. A constriction may be provided between the grip portionand the head of the heat sealing strip and the grip portion may bethicker than the head of the heat sealing strip so that the seal at theleadout slot is further improved.

The invention will now be described more in detail with reference to thedrawing, which shows several embodiments by way of example. In thedrawing FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a first embodiment of acarrying bag according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows sectional views taken on line "-11 of FIG. 1 through thebag in open and FIG. 2a in closed condition.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 and shows amodified embodiment in open and FIG. 3a in closed condition,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing another embodiment,

FIG. 5 shows sectional views which are similar to those of FIG. 2 andtaken on line VV in FIG. 4 in open and FIG. 5a in closed condition,

FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing a further embodiment,

FIG. 7 shows sectional views taken on line VII-VII of FIG. 6 through thebag in open and FIG. 7a in closed condition,

FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment of acarrying bag according to the invention,

FIG. 9 shows sectional views taken on line IX-IX of FIG. 8 through thebag in open and FIG. 9a in closed condition,

FIG. 10 shows as a detail the handle portion of the carrying bag of FIG.1 in closed condition,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line XI-XI of FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on line XIIXII of FIG. 10,

FIG. 13 shows a detail of a carrying bag according to the invention witha channel-shaped grip portion,

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on line IIII of FIG. 13,

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 13,

FIG. 16 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment of acarrying bag according to the invention,

FIG. 17 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the carryingbag of FIG. 16 in open condition,

FIG. 18 is a sectional view which is similar to that of FIG. 17 andshows the carrying bag of FIG. 16 in closed condition,

FIG. 19 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment,

FIG. 20 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the embodimentof FIG. 19 in open condition,

FIG. 2I is a sectional view which is similar to that of FIG. 20 andshows the carrying bag of FIG. I9 in closed condition,

FIG. 22 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment of thecarrying bag according to the invention,

FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line Il-II of FIG. 22 andshowing the carrying bag in open and FIG. 23a in closed condition,

FIG. 24 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment of thecarrying bag according to the invention,

FIG. 25 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the carryingbag of FIG. 24 in open condition,

FIG. 26 is a sectional view which is similar to that of FIG. 25 andshows the carrying bag of FIG. 24 in closed condition,

FIG. 27 is a top plan view showing a still further embodiment of acarrying bag,

FIG. 28 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the carryingbag of FIG. 27 in open condition, and

FIG. 29 is a sectional view which is similar to that of FIG. 28 andshows the carrying bag of FIG. 27 in closed condition.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 2a show the simplest embodiment of a carrying bagaccording to the invention. The carrying bag is made in known manner bythe formation of transverse seams in a half-tubing of syntheticthermoplastic sheeting in combined heat sealing and severing operationsand comprises a shorter wall 1 and a longer wall 2. The heat-sealed sideseams are indicated at 3 and 4. A carrying handle 6 is joined by aheatsealed joint 5 to the free edge of the shorter bag wall I andconsists of a long, stiff heat sealing strip 7 and a grip portion 8. Thelonger bag wall 2 has a reversely foldable portion 9, which protrudesover the shorter bag wall I. The bag wall 2 is formed with a lead-outslot 10 in register with the base of the grip portion 8.

When the carrying bag has been filled, the grip portion 8 of the handle6 must be slipped through the leadout slot 10. Otherwise, the weight ofthe contents of the bag would pull down the longer bag wall 2 and thebag would be opened to a large extent. When the handle has been slippedthrough the slot, the reversely folded portion 9 assumes the positionshown on the right in FIG. 2 to close the opening of the bag as desired.

In the modified embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 3a, the carrying handle6 is not heat-sealed to the top edge of the shorter bag wall I and thelatter has a portion 11 which extends upwardly from the heat-sealed seam5. As is shown on the right in FIG. 3, the portion 1] is also reverselyfolded onto the outside of the shorter bag wall 1 as the bag is closed.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, both bag walls may have the samelength.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 5a, both bag walls comprisetwo plies adjacent to their upper edge, where they are provided withreversely folded edge portions so that the walls are additionallyreinforced and stiffened. The shorter wall 1 has a reversely folded edgeportion 12 and the longer wall 2 has a reversely folded edge portion 13.Along their lower edges, the reversely folded edge portions are joinedby heat-sealed seams l4 and 15 to the associated bag walls so that thetension applied by the contents of the bag is taken up by both sheetingplies adjacent to the edge. Along its top fold, the reversely foldededge portion 12 is joined to the shorter bag wall by a heat-sealed seam17, which also joins the handle 16. The reversely folded edge portion 13is joined at its top fold to the longer wall 2 by the heat-sealed seam18. These heat-sealed seams prevent a shifting of the two sheeting pliesrelative to each other adjacent to the reversely folded edge portion sothat the stiffness is increased. As is apparent from the drawing, thelonger wall 2 comprises two further heat-sealed seams l9 and 20 onopposite sides of the lead-out slot 21, which is well protected againsttearing by the heat-sealed seams 19 and 20. These seams also define thefold line for the reversely foldable portion 9. The carrying bagaccording to this embodiment is shown in closed condition on the rightin FIG. 5.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, a portion 22 has been reversely foldedbefore the provision of the heat-sealed seams 3, 4, which join thisportion 22 to the bag wall 2. The wall 1 which carries the handle 6 isreduced in width in its upper end portion, upwardly of the lower edge 23of the reversely folded portion 22. This upper edge portion is reducedin width to such an extent that it is not joined by the heat-sealed sidescams 3 and 4 and a flap 26 is formed. When the bag has been filled, theflap 26 is slipped under the reversely folded portion 22 which is fixedto the wall 2 and the handle 6 is slipped through the lead-out slot 27disposed at the fold of the reversely folded portion 22.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 9a differs from the embodiment ofFIGS. 6, 7 and 7a in that the reversely folded portion 28 comprises twoplies and its edge is joined by the heat-sealed seam 29 to the otherply.

FIG. is an enlarged view showing the handle 6 of the carrying bagaccording to FIGS. 1 and 2 with the heat sealing strip 7 broken away.The grip portion 8 tapers upwardly so that it can be slipped more easilythrough the lead-out slot 10. The grip portion has a maximum length at30 slightly above the heat sealing strip 7 and is somewhat undercut at31 between the portion 30 and the heat sealing strip 7. The lead-outslot 10 has such a length that it is held in position by the projectionsat 30 when the grip portion 8 has been slipped through the slot.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show that the heat sealing strip 8 has a bead along itsupper edge at 32 and that the grip portion 8 of the handle 6 is thickerthan the bead 32. A constriction 33 between the bead 32 and the base ofthe grip portion 8 receives the edges defining the leadout slot 10 sothat a particularly good seal is ensured.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the carrying bag according to theinvention. The heat sealing strip 101 of the handle 100 isjoined to thebag wall 102 by a heat-sealed seam 103. The other bag wall 104 has atwo-ply upper portion and has a portion 105 which is reversely foldedover the upper edge of the wall 102 and of the heat sealing strip 101.As a result, the grip portion 106 of the handle 100 has slipped throughthe lead-out slot 107. The two plies of the reversely folded portion 105have been joined at the edges of the leadout slot 107 by a combinedheat-sealing and severing operation. A shrunk heat-sealed seam 108 isclosely spaced from the lead-out slot 107 and prevents a propagation ofany tears forming at the edges of the slot 107.

As is apparent from FIGS. 14 and 15, the grip portion 106 of the handleof another embodiment has the shape of an open-topped channel. As isalso apparent from FIGS. 14 and 15, the heat sealing strip 101 isT-shaped in cross-section and the crosspiece 109 of the T forms anabutment for the reversely folded portion 105. The crosspiece 109 issmaller in width than the web 110 of the channel so that the handles 100when stacked in the magazine of an automatic heatsealing device contacteach other only at the outside surface of the grip portions 106.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view showing the carrying bag of FIG. 13. Thereversely foldable portion 105 comprises two plies, which are notheat-sealed at the fold 111 of the portion 105 so that the inherentelasticity of the plastics material causes the two plies of thereversely foldable portion to be spaced apart, particularly at the fold,and a beamlike action is obtained. FIG. 16 shows also the shrunkheat-sealed seam 108, which eliminates the need for any furtherheat-sealed joint between the two plies of the reversely foldableportion because it ensures the desired sharing of the tensile forces bythe two plies of the reversely folded portion. An additional heat-sealedseam 112 extending throughout the width of the reversely foldableportion 105 may be provided below the lead-out slot 107 which isprovided with the shrunk heat'sealed seam 108.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the reversely foldableportion 113 consists of a two-ply portion of the rear wall 104 and saidtwo-ply portion is backfolded on itself so that the reversely foldableportion 113 comprises four plies, which are not provided withheat-sealed joints along their folds 114. Just as in the embodimentshown in FIG. 16, the several layers of the reversely foldable portion113 are joined only by the shrunk heat-sealed seam 108, possibly by theadditional heat-sealed seam 112, and by the heat-sealed side seams 115and 116. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 21, the reversely foldededge portion 113 has a particularly pronounced beam action andeffectively prevents or reduces a sagging of the upper end portions ofthe carrying bag beyond the ends of the heat sealing strip 101. Besides,the fact that the reversely foldable portion 1 13 consists of four pliesresults in a particularly good reinforcement of the lead-out slot 107.

A further embodiment of a carrying bag according to the invention isshown in FIGS. 22, 23 and 23a. The carrying bag comprises a shorterfront wall 102 and a longer rear wall 104. Before the provision of theside seams 115 and 116 by a combined heat-sealing and severingoperation, the extension 122 of the wall 104 is infolded so that it issubsequently joined to the bag wall 104 by the seams 115 and 116. Acarrying handle 100 consisting of the long, stiff heat sealing strip 101and the grip portion 106 is heated sealed to the front bag wall 102 atthe free edge thereof by the heat-sealed seam 103. At the fold line ofthe reversely foldable portion 122, the bag wall 104, 122 is providedwith a leadout slot 127 for the grip portion 106. This slot extendsthroughout the length of the base of the grip portion 106. In its upperedge portion extending upwardly from the lower edge 123 of the reverselyfoldable portion 122, the wall 102 carrying the handle 100 is providedon both sides with inclined incisions 124 and 125, which are interruptedby narrow lands 125. When the bag is opened for the first time in thatthe handle 106 and the wall 104, 122 are gripped, the lands 125' aresevered and a flap 126 is formed, which is provided with the handle 100.When the bag has been filled, the flap 126 is slipped under thereversely folded portion 122, which is secured to the wall 104. As isshown on the right in FIG. 23a, the handle 100 is then slipped throughthe lead-out slot 127. The wall end portions 128 and 129 remainconnected to the bag because they are held in the heat-sealed seams 115and 116.

FIGS. 24 26 show another embodiment of a carrying bag. The carrying bagis made in known manner from a half-tubing of synthetic thermoplasticsheeting by a formation of transverse seams in combined heatsealing andsevering operations and comprise a shorter wall 130 and a longer wall131. The heat-sealed side seams are indicated at 132 and 133. A carryinghandle 137 consisting of a long, stiff heat-sealing strip 135 and thegrip portion 136 is heat-sealed to the free edge of the shorter wall 130of the bag by the heat-sealed seam 134. The longer bag wall 131 has areversely foldable portion 138, which protrudes over the shorter bagwall 130. A lead-out slot 139 is provided in the longer bag wall 131 onthe level of the base of the grip portion 136.

The longer bag wall 131 is reinforced adjacent to the lead-out slot 139by a strip 140, which is applied to the inside and extends throughoutthe width of the bag. Side seams 132 and 133 formed by a combinedheatsealing and severing operation join the strip 140 to the bag wall131 and that portion of the strip which extends also adjacent to theshorter bag wall 130 to both bag walls. The lead-out slot 139 issurrounded by a heatsealed seam 141 joining the strip 140 to the bagwall 131 which is provided with the lead-out slot. The heatsealed seam141 may consist of a special shrunk heatsealed seam or may be formedduring the manufacture of the lead-out slot as a reinforced seam by acombined heat-sealing and severing operation.

The reinforcing strip 140 consists preferably of thicker material thanthe remainder of the bag and has such a thickness that the lead-out slotis not excessively deformed or even torn. When the carrying handle 137has been slipped through the lead-out slot, the bag wall 131 providedwith the slot is suspended from the handle at the slot. The reinforcingstrip stiffens the reversely foldable flap on both sides of the lead-outslot so that a beam action is provided at the top edge of the closed bagand prevents an unsightly sagging of the end portions of the bag, whichare not supported by the heatsealing strip 135 of the carrying handle.

A further embodiment of the carrying bag according to the invention isshown in FIGS. 27 29. The carrying bag has a shorter wall 142 and alonger wall 143. The heat-sealed side seams are indicated at 144 and145. A carrying handle 149 consisting of along, stiff heat-sealing strip147 and the grip portion 148 is heat-sealed to the free edge portion ofthe shorter bag wall 142. The

longer bag wall 143 comprises a reversely foldable portion 150, whichprotrudes beyond the shorter bag wall ilfi'eflti gftlolf sifll r'lfirflllgs i iilfi'fli vided between the wall 143 and the reversely foldededge portion 151 and extends throughout the width of the bag. Hence, theheat-sealed side seams 144 and include the reversely folded edge portion151 and the reinforcing strip 152 and join these two elements to the bagwall 143 and join the lower portion of these elements also to the bagwall 142.

In that portion of the longer bag wall 143 which is provided with thereversely folded edge portion 151 and the reinforcing strip 152 so thatit comprises three plies, a lead-out slot 153 for the grip portion 148is provided on the level of the base of the grip portion 148. Thislead-out slot 153 is surrounded by a heat-sealed seam 154, which joinsthe three plies and may consist of a special shrunk heat-sealed seam ormay be formed during the formation of the lead-out slot as a reinforcedseam by a combined heat-sealing and severing operation.

The reinforcing strip 152 is preferably made of thicker material thanthe remainder of the bag and is so thick that the lead-out slot issufficiently reinforced so that it will not be excessively deformed noreven torn. When the handle 149 has been slipped through the lead-outslot, the bag wall 143 provided with said slot is suspended from thehandle at the slot. The additional reversely folded edge portion 151 ofthe bag wall 143 covers the reinforcing strip. Although the edges ofsaid strip are held only in the heat-sealed side seams, they cannotdisturbingly protrude from the remainder of the bag wall, such as may bethe case with exposed reinforcing strips.

According to another feature of the invention, the reversely folded edgeportion may be prefolded, pressed and opened back at its base along theline 156 indicated as a dash-dot line in FIG. 27. This will ensure thatin spite of the stiff reinforcing strip the reversely foldable portionwill fold into snug engagement when the handle has been slipped throughthe slot.

What is claimed is:

1. A handle-type carrying bag made of plastic material sheetingcomprising two opposing walls, heat-sealed side seams uniting edges ofsaid opposing walls, a heatsealed carrying handle made of stiffsynthetic thermoplastics mounted on one of said walls, the other one ofsaid walls being provided with a leadout slot on the level of the lowerend of said handle and comprising a portion extending beyond saidlead-out slot and being reversely folded and included in saidheat-sealed side seams, said one wall, before the first use of the bag,comprising an easily destructable weakening line adjacent each of saidside seams in a region of said one wall corresponding in widthsubstantially to the width of said reversely folded portion.

2. A carrying bag according to claim 1, characterized in that theweakened lines comprise cuts which are interrupted only by a few verythin lands.

3. A carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein said weakening linestaper to said handle.

1. A handle-type carrying bag made of plastic material sheetingcomprising two opposing walls, heat-sealed side seams uniting edges ofsaid opposing walls, a heat-sealed carrying handle made of stiffsynthetic thermoplastics mounted on one of said walls, the other one ofsaid walls being provided with a lead-out slot on the level of the lowerend of said handle and comprising a portion extending beyond saidlead-out slot and being reversely folded and included in saidheat-sealed side seams, said one wall, before the first use of the bag,comprising an easily destructable weakening line adjacent each of saidside seams in a region of said one wall corresponding in widthsubstantially to the width of said reversely folded portion.
 2. Acarrying bag according to claim 1, characterized in that the weakenedlines comprise cuts which are interrupted only by a few very thin lands.3. A carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein said weakening linestaper to said handle.